Putting marine scientific research on a sustainable footing at hydrothermal vents

Marine scientific research (MSR), involving the study of hydrothermal vent systems and their associated biological communities, is of some of the most exciting scientific work currently being undertaken. It is generally recognised that the discovery of chemosynthetic-based ecosystems at hydrothermal vents on the deep seabed was one of the most important findings in biological science in the latter half of the 20th century. Hydrothermal vents -- underwater water circulatory systems driven by sub-surface volcanic activity -- are primarily concentrated along the earth's Mid-oceanic Ridge, a 60,000 kilometre seam of geological activity. Their warm, chemical-laden, waters support some of the planet's most productive and densely populated marine biological communities, despite extreme conditions of high pressure, toxicity and darkness. Though deep sea hydrothermal vents are typically low in biodiversity at the macro-organism level, they tend to exhibit high endemism at taxonomic levels higher than species. In contrast, they host one of the highest levels of microbial diversity on the planet. It is thought that hundreds if not thousands of hydrothermal vent sites may exist along the Mid-oceanic Ridge. But they are extremely hard to find and only approximately 100 sites have been documented by researchers to date. Of these, perhaps only about 12 sites -- located within and beyond the limits of national jurisdiction in the International Seabed Area (the Area) -- are regularly visited for MSR purposes, primarily because of their proximity to land-based facilities and their relative ease of accessibility. Despite the appearance of physical isolation and their apparent inaccessibility under thousands of metres of water, the more accessible deep sites are potentially threatened by human activities. The activities most likely to involve hydrothermal vents and their biological communities are seabed mining for associated polymetallic sulphide deposits, submarine-based tourism and MSR. Of these, ironically, MSR poses the most immediate threat to the most visited hydrothermal vent systems and their associated biological communities. As a natural resource-based activity MSR needs to be placed on a sustainable footing in order to conserve biodiversity and maintain the scientific value of the most accessible sites. This article will focus on the tools available to place MSR on a more sustainable footing at hydrothermal vents located within and beyond the limits of national jurisdiction. A code of conduct for MSR activities at hydrothermal vents will be proposed.